Face off with Zoey.
"Valerie!!" the butler's powerful voice reverberated in the living room. He had been with the family the longest and, like Mr. Wright, was angry at Valerie for all the trouble she had caused in the past. And now that she was back, she wasted no time in causing more trouble, physically abusing a maid!
Unbelievable!
'Just what I needed,' Valerie thought. She wiped her tears, took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself to face the butler, who never spared a moment to give her an earful. But on turning around, she saw Zoey leisurely walking down the stairs.
Valerie's heart skipped a beat at the sight of Zoey. The trauma and fear Zoey instilled in her ran deep, but with the help of therapy, she managed to control her inner turmoil.
Valerie balled her fist, clenched her jaw, and focused on her breathing to maintain composure. But then again, standing upright could make her lose her cool, so she walked to the Sofa and took a seat.
She needed to maintain a steely demeanor, showing her utmost confidence in the face of the woman who had tormented her, both physically, mentally, and psychologically for the past sixteen years – ever since Zoey and her mother entered the Wright estate.
After Valerie escaped six years ago, she had spent a lot of time in therapy, trying to overcome her fear of Zoey and her mother. Her therapist had told her that facing her fear was the only way to overcome it.
And she must face and defeat her fear, alone, right here and now.
"Aunt Martha, I would love some ginger tea. Please take your time," she ordered.
The old woman wasn't sure about leaving Valerie alone with these wolves, but on seeing Valerie's confidence and sweet smile, she nodded, "Yes, Miss," and left.
The butler glared at Valerie before leaving to get Mr. Wright, totally ignoring Maya, who could be in desperate need of a medical assistant.
At the sight of Valerie, Zoey grew excited and wanted to break her, totally oblivious to the lifeless Maya, or so it seemed.
Zoey clapped her hands, her smile dripping with malice. "Well, well, well. Look who we have here. My dear sister, how have you been?" She took a step closer, her eyes gleaming with a sinister light.
She and Valerie were alone in the living room, so there was no need to pretend, she thought.
Valerie's gaze never wavered, her eyes boring into Zoey's. "I'm very beautiful and healthy, much to your disappointment." Her voice was steady, but her heart raced with trepidation.
Zoey was momentarily taken aback. "How eloquent. You've learned some fancy words on the streets. I'm impressed." She smiled and stood a few steps away from Valerie. "Your eyes still blaze with an even more intensity. Let's say, you're exuding a killer vibe right now."
She paused, pretending to be shocked. "Do you hate me? No, that's a wrong question, let me rephrase it. Do you wish you could push a knife through my chest?" Zoey faked a fearful look. She dramatically covered her chest, then laughed tauntingly before saying dismissively. "It's six years already. Let bygones be bygones, lovely sister. Moreover, you look fine and beautiful, like you said."
Valerie would have flared up at Zoey's dismissive attitude, but she was different now.
She scoffed, "Isn't that too easy? Your heart could fetch me a lot of money, so why stab it?" Valerie sneered.
"Hahahahaha… Are you worthy, Valerie? Perhaps, I should have gouged out those eyes six years ago." She paused, her eyes glinting with amusement. "But then again, I'm curious, how did you manage to survive? I thought I killed you with my own hands?"
A scene of Valerie falling into the river after she was shot by Zoey played in Zoey's mind for a fleeting moment.
Valerie's smile grew wider. She uncrossed her legs and stood to her feet. With each step she took, her heels made clicking sounds on the marble floor. The sound filled the room, making the silence feel more intense, overriding Valerie's pounding heartbeat.
Standing a foot away from Zoey, Valerie leaned to Zoey's ear and whispered, her voice laced with venom. "You wish you had." Her eyes flashed with a terrifying intensity, one which Mrs. Wright, who had just gotten there was unfortunate to catch.
It was unclear if the glance was meant for Mrs. Wright, but it left her paralyzed in fright.
Zoey felt a cold shiver run down her spine when Valerie pulled back and gently patted her shoulder.
The air was thick with tension as the two sisters faced off, their words hanging in the air like daggers.
Zoey sensed that Valerie had changed, but she knew that six years was enough to alter even a coward.
Zoey wasn't a simpleton either.
Zoey's expression twisted into a snarl. Her lips parted, but before she could speak, Valerie beat her to it, her voice low and menacing. "It was fun killing her…" She pointed to Maya's lifeless body, her eyes glimmered with a weird look of satisfaction.
Stunned, Zoey slowly turned her head in Maya's direction and her eyes widened in horror and her face paled. "Ki – kill? You killed her? How could you, Valerie?!" she spat, her voice trembling with rage.
Maya was her confidant, the only reliable person she could trust to do all of her dirty jobs.
Maya and her shared the same personality, greed and evil, so she was able to groom Maya to become her weapon. Now that she was dead, where would she find a useful tool like Maya?
Zoey was so enraged that the thought to verify Valerie's claim totally skipped her mind.
Unbeknownst to her, Valerie said that because she saw her father walking down the stairs.
"What are you talking about, who killed who?" Mr. Wright frowned. He hadn't seen Maya yet.
Zoey snapped out of her momentary loss. She must make Valerie pay for what she'd done. With that, her lips curled and she whispered to Valerie, her eyes filled with rage. "You made this much easier. I thought I could have some fun."
The next second, her eyes teared up and her voice trembled uncontrollably. She turned around to face Mr. Wright, who was standing beside Mrs. Wright and the butler.
"Da– dad, please don't hold this against my sister. It– it was a mistake. Maya must have said something she didn't like and she, Valerie…she killed Maya!" Zoey crumbled to the floor, weeping so emotionally that it broke everyone's heart.